Both the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys will rest not only their starting quarterbacks but also their primary backups. That means the matchup will be between Stetson Bennett and Trey Lance.
Lance is now a member of the Cowboys but formerly was a member of the Rams top rival, the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted 3rd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft after the 49ers swapped first-round picks with the Miami Dolphins in exchange for two future firsts and a third.
Los Angeles Rams To Face Trey Lance For First Time
Given that the Rams and 49ers are in the same division, expectations would expect that they would have faced Lance at least once in his two seasons with the 49ers. But this preseason game will serve as the first occasion. Had Lance met a fraction of his first-round expectations this would be a different storyline, but it played out as it did. Lance suffered injuries that forced him to miss the lion’s share of his first two seasons. Eventually Brock Purdy emerged for the 49ers and Lance was traded to the Cowboys ahead of the 2023 season.
This will be the sixth time the Rams play a game with Lance on the opponent’s roster.
Since joining Dallas, Lance has yet to take a snap and is listed behind Cooper Rush on the unofficial depth chart. And the Cowboys have declined his fifth-year option, making Lance a free agent after this season.
The implication for the Rams is that Sunday’s game will be one of Lance’s few opportunities to prove he isn’t an out-and-out failure. But as far as he has expressed verbally, Lance isn’t feeling additional pressure to perform.
“I’m going into this game the same as I’ve gone into every other game my whole entire life — college, high school,” Lance said on Friday, via the team’s website. “I don’t think that I’ll put too much extra in it. I’m not gonna play any harder than I have in the past, or not harder.”
“Big game for me. Big game for us so I’m excited to go out there and play well.”
The quarterback’s limited playing time has led to modest statistics. Through three seasons, Lance has appeared in eight games, completing less than 55 percent of his passes for 797 yards, with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
